A Long List of Credit Cards That Don’t Charge Foreign Transaction Fees

Let’s focus on that last benefit so you can quickly determine which credit card to use while traveling abroad to avoid any unwelcome fees on your many non-cash purchases.

Credit card issuers generally charge 3% of the transaction if/when traveling outside the USA, meaning $30 per $1,000 in spending. With so many cards waiving these fees, you might as well carry the right card the next time you leave America.

Below we have grouped credit cards that don’t charge foreign transaction fees by issuer – we also note whether they charge an annual fee or not. This is helpful if you want a card for the long-haul, one that you don’t have to pay for to keep in your wallet year after year.

Credit Cards with No Foreign Transaction Fees

Issuer

Card Name

Annual Fee

Where Accepted

Amex

Platinum

$450

Hit or miss

Amex

Biz Platinum

$450

Hit or miss

Amex

Centurion

$2,500

Hit or miss

Amex

Gold

$160

Hit or miss

Amex

Biz Gold

$175

Hit or miss

Amex

Premier Gold

$195

Hit or miss

Amex

SPG

$95

Hit or miss

Amex

SPG Biz

$95

Hit or miss

Amex

Gold Delta

$95

Hit or miss

Amex

Gold Delta Biz

$95

Hit or miss

Amex

Platinum Delta

$195

Hit or miss

Amex

Plat Delta Biz

$195

Hit or miss

Amex

Delta Reserve

$450

Hit or miss

Amex

Plum Card

$250

Hit or miss

BofA

AAA Member Rewards

$0

Anywhere Visa

BofA

Alaska Signature

$75

Anywhere Visa

BofA

Alaska Biz

$75

Anywhere Visa

BofA

Travel Rewards

$0

Anywhere Visa

BofA

Travel Rewards Biz

$0

Anywhere Visa

BofA

Merrill + Visa

$0

Anywhere Visa

BofA

Merrill Biz

$0

Anywhere Visa

BofA

Virgin Atlantic

$90

Anywhere MC

BankUnited

Bonus Rewards Plus

$50

Anywhere Visa

BankUnited

Travel Rewards Amex

$95

Hit or miss

Barclaycard

Arrival Plus

$89

Anywhere MC

Barclaycard

Arrival Regular

$0

Anywhere MC

Barclaycard

AA Aviator Red

$95

Anywhere MC

Barclaycard

Ring

$0

Anywhere MC

Barclaycard

Carnival

$0

Anywhere MC

Barclaycard

Hawaiian

$89

Anywhere MC

Barclaycard

Holland America

$0

Anywhere Visa

Barclaycard

JetBlue

$0

Anywhere MC

Barclaycard

Lufthansa

$89

Anywhere MC

Barclaycard

Priceline Rewards

$0

Anywhere Visa

Barclaycard

Princess Cruises

$0

Anywhere Visa

Barclaycard

Wyndham Rewards

$0

Anywhere Visa

Barclaycard

Gold Card

$995

Anywhere MC

Barclaycard

Black Card

$495

Anywhere MC

Barclaycard

Titanium Card

$195

Anywhere MC

BBVA

Select Card

$125

Anywhere Visa

BMO Harris

Premium Rewards MC

$79

Anywhere MC

Capital One

ALL CARDS

Various

Anywhere MC/Visa

Chase

British Airways

$95

Anywhere Visa

Chase

Fairmont

$95

Anywhere Visa

Chase

IHG

$49

Anywhere MC

Chase

Sapphire Preferred

$95

Anywhere Visa

Chase

Sapphire Reserve

$450

Anywhere Visa

Chase

Hyatt

$75

Anywhere Visa

Chase

Ink Plus

$95

Anywhere Visa

Chase

Ink Preferred

$95

Anywhere Visa

Chase

United MileagePlus

$95

Anywhere Visa

Chase

United Club

$450

Anywhere Visa

Chase

Marriott

$85

Anywhere Visa

Chase

Marriott Biz

$99

Anywhere Visa

Chase

Ritz Carlton

$450

Anywhere Visa

Chase

Amazon Rewards

$0

Anywhere Visa

Chase

Amazon Prime

$0

Anywhere Visa

Chase

Southwest Prem Biz

$99

Anywhere Visa

Chase

United Explorer Biz

$95

Anywhere Visa

Citi

AA Plat Select

$95

Anywhere MC

Citi

AA Exec

$450

Anywhere MC

Citi

AA Biz

$95

Anywhere MC

Citi

ThankYou Prem

$95

Anywhere MC

Citi

Prestige

$450

Anywhere MC

Citi

Expedia Voyager

$95

Anywhere MC

Citi

HHonors Reserve

$95

Anywhere Visa

Citizens Bank

Cash Back Plus World MC

$0

Anywhere MC

City National

Crystal Infinite

$400

Anywhere Visa

Comerica

Visa Bonus Rewards Plus

$50

Anywhere Visa

Comerica

Travel Rewards Amex

$95

Hit or miss

Discover

ALL CARDS

$0

Anywhere Discover/Diners Club

Fifth Third Bank

Trio Card

$0

Anywhere MC

HSBC

Premier World MC

$0

Anywhere MC

HSBC

Advance MC

$0

Anywhere MC

HSBC

Platinum MC Rewards

$0

Anywhere MC

HSBC

Platinum MC

$0

Anywhere MC

Huntington

Voice Card

$0

Anywhere MC

M&T Bank

Visa Signature

$0

Anywhere Visa

PenFed

ALL CARDS

$0

Anywhere VISA/Amex

SunTrust

Cash Rewards

$0

Anywhere MC/Amex

TD Bank

TD Cash

$0

Anywhere VISA

TD Bank

TD First Class

$89

Anywhere VISA

USAA

ALL CARDS

Mostly $0

Anywhere VISA/Amex

US Bank

FlexPerks Gold Amex

$85

Hit or miss

US Bank

FlexPerks Travel

$49

Anywhere Visa

US Bank

SkyPass Visa Signature

$80

Anywhere Visa

Wells Fargo

Propel 365 Amex

$45

Hit or miss

Wells Fargo

Propel World Amex

$175

Hit or miss

*Credit cards issued by Visa and MasterCard enjoy the best acceptance, whereas those issued by American Express and Discover may not be accepted by as many foreign merchants (or even domestic ones!), hence why we wrote “hit or miss” for Amex cards. Discover seems to be the worst for acceptance outside the U.S.

Also watch out for merchants that allow you to pay for things in U.S. dollars while traveling abroad. You can get hit with a costly foreign currency conversion fee, which is separate from foreign transaction fees!

American Express

While many American Express cards do not charge foreign transaction fees, none offer this perk while charging no annual fee. So you’ll pay for the privilege no matter what. Well, unless the first year’s annual fee is waived…

Additionally, many retailers outside the United States (and inside the U.S. for that matter) don’t actually accept American Express. Think the smaller restaurants, hotels, etc., those that aren’t high-end or big-name world brands.

If your Amex doesn’t waive the foreign transaction fees, expect to pay 2.7% of the transaction, which is slightly lower than the industry standard 3%.

Keep in mind that there are a variety of Amex Platinum cards other than those listed such as ones issued by Ameriprise, Charles Schwab, Mercedes Benz, Morgan Stanley, etc. that waive the fees.

Bank of America

Bank of America offers a couple credit cards that don’t charge foreign transaction fees. And there are two Merrill Lynch cards that don’t charge the fees either. Also, their Business Preferred World MasterCard charge card only charges 2% as opposed to the typical 3%.

Barclaycard

Barclaycard has a good variety of credit cards with no foreign transaction fees, including their popular Arrival Plus card. Additionally, they have quite a few cards that don’t charge forex or annual fees, so you can keep the card long term. All are Visa or MasterCard too.

Capital One

Perhaps the trailblazer of this credit card perk was Capital One, which doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees on any of its credit cards. Even better is that their cards are either Visa or MasterCard, which tend to enjoy the best acceptance rate of any credit card worldwide. They also have many no annual fee options such as Quicksilver, VentureOne Rewards, and their Platinum Card.

Chase

Many Chase credit cards waive the foreign transaction fees, but they often come with annual fees. The two exceptions are the Amazon credit cards from Chase, which both don’t charge annual fees or foreign transaction fees.

Citi

Citi has a handful of credit cards with no foreign transaction fees, but none of them carry no annual fee. So you’ll be paying for the privilege unless the fee is waived during year one. The good news is they’re Visa and MasterCard issued cards.

Discover

The great thing about Discover is they don’t charge foreign transaction fees. The bad news is they aren’t accepted everywhere, notably France, and certainly not as widely as Visa and MasterCard. However, things do seem to be getting better in terms of acceptance rate globally. If you see a Discover or Diners Club International logo, the merchant should take the card.

HSBC

This multinational bank rightly waives foreign transaction fees on many of their credit cards, and you can get a $0 annual fee on many of them as well. Just note that some of the cards require a banking relationship to waive the annual fee.

PenFed

This credit union doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees on its credit cards, which come in both Visa and American Express varieties. The Visa ones are likely preferred for international travel to ensure acceptance.

USAA

The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) removed foreign transaction fees from all of its credit cards. But they offer both Visa and American Express cards, the latter of which might not accepted by merchants in all foreign countries you visit.